Weight loss with Kanopy
Today's question: Do you know of a good website/article that compares the caffeine content across different beverages?
If you're a member of a library in Perth, you have the privilege of accessing a website called Kanopy.
You get 4 credits every month to watch 4 videos. The downside is that once you use up your credits, that's it! I couldn't even find the option to purchase extra credits.
Kanopy is a streaming service that I like because it's got a lot of interesting documentaries.
My favourites are the videos they have on the subject of health.
The first video I watched was a documentary called Unsupersize Me - The Woman Who Lost 200 lbs in a Year. Basically she went on a vegan diet and started doing gym with her coach. Her whole body shape changed completely after one year. But I think her face kind of lost its glow for some reason I can't explain why, so I'm not really convinced about this vegan diet thing.
I really like this series called Changing Body Composition through Diet and Exercise. I'm in the process of organizing my notes, which I'll work on publishing one of these days.
One video called Evaluating Dietary Supplements claims that caffeine increases metabolism, especially when paired with EGCG (green tea has both caffeine and EGCG). So if you drink your coffee or green tea on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning before breakfast, and 30-45 minutes before exercise, apparently this will boost the fat loss from doing moderate intensity exercise.
Not the first time I've come across this piece of information, but it was exciting to see someone else reaffirm it and explain it in a different way. Last year I looked up some academic journal articles on green tea and obesity.
This is something I've been eager to try out, but there have been a couple of obstacles. First of all, I've been living in the middle of the desert this past month and can't get my hands on Japanese green tea, specifically matcha because matcha is a varient of green tea that has more concentrated levels of caffeine. Second, you're supposed to take 3-6 mg per kg of body mass. So if you're 70 kg then you gotta consume 210-420mg of caffeine. I'm still looking for good sources of information on how much caffeine is in your average cuppa, but from what I know, that's equivalent to either a potent blend of Starbucks coffee (which doesn't really exist here in Australia), or several cups of your instant coffee. Unfortunately, I am unusually sensitive to caffeine, and that's more cups of coffee than I can stomach.
Back when I was in Japan I lost a lot of weight effortlessly and was 38 kg at my skinniest. I am not sure why but there were a lot of factors I guess.
1. I drank Japanese tea (my favourite being 爽健美茶 straight from the vending machine) every day
2. I did not eat very much and sometimes survived on a takoyaki.
3. I was usually walking at a fast pace because I was always getting from one place to the next and trying not to miss the bus/train, browsing through shopping malls as fast as I could.
4. I did Kyudo every couple of days, even though it was just practicing the gomu-yumi hundreds of times over and over again just to strengthen my arms.
